Teaching People Who Had Never Sold Anything

From July to December 2025, I was the sales manager at Amtech here in Bend. I led a team of 15 people selling AI-powered secretaries and custom software to businesses.

Here's the part I'm proudest of: some of the people on that team had never worked in sales before.

Start at the beginning

It's easy for a manager to hire experienced people, hand them a quota and say "go." I didn't want to run a team that way. When someone joined us with no sales background, I taught them the whole process from the start: how the product works, how a call should go, how to follow up, and what you can and can't promise a customer.

My job covered hiring, onboarding, training and daily coaching, along with the less exciting parts like pipeline management, forecasting and reporting. But the training is what made the rest possible. A beginner who understands the process will outwork someone who is just guessing.

Pay attention to how people fit together

I also learned that a team isn't just a list of names. Sometimes two people simply worked better with different partners. When I saw that, I changed the pairing. Moving people around wasn't a judgment on anyone. It was my job to set them up to succeed.

Then let go

Good leadership isn't control. Once people knew the process, I gave them room to work on their own. People grow when they're trusted. And when a hard decision had to be made, that was my responsibility too, not something to hand off.

Why this matters for public service

I'm running for Deschutes County Clerk in the November 3, 2026 general election. The Clerk's Office handles elections, property records, marriage licenses, passport applications and more. Most people who walk in are "beginners" at whatever they need that day. They aren't supposed to know the process. That's the office's job.

The same things that worked on my sales team are what I'd bring to the Clerk's Office:

  • Explain the whole process. Don't assume people already know it.
  • Fit the help to the person. Different people need different kinds of help.
  • Build trust, then give people room. Staff who are trained well and trusted serve residents better.

My priorities are secure and transparent elections, easier digital access to public records and licensing, and clear, responsive communication with every resident. All three come down to teaching, clarity and trust.

— Jon Curtis

Learn more: jonathancurtis2026.netlify.app

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